As well as Prime Minister's questions, four new podcasts are available for free each week: Newsdesk, Westminster Weekly, Science Weekly and Media Talk.
Neil McIntosh, assistant editor of Guardian Unlimited (GU), admitted that the team had been able to learn from the successes and failures of its rivals. While it has toyed with ad-hoc podcasts for specific events, its best known podcast - a series of Ricky Gervais comedy rambles - was instigated by Gervais, rather than GU.
"There were lots of reasons to do it," he said.
"But he came to us, and you just don't say 'no' to one of the country's most famous and original comedy talents!"
In the meantime, GU built a podcast studio earlier this year and employed start-up production firm Yada Yada. Founded by two experienced broadcast journalists, Yada Yada specialises in podcasting and charges less than traditional radio production companies. As Mr McIntosh pointed out, GU does not have the budget of an organisation like the BBC.
The trick to podcasting? Make it interesting to listen to...
In the 20-minute Media Talk podcast, four media commentators and reporters discuss the news roundtable style rather than reading from a script which, said Mr McIntosh, even a professional broadcast journalist would struggle with.
It may sound obvious, but Mr McIntosh said there is "an obligation to make it interesting to listen to".
Some news organisations have chosen to employ actors or broadcast journalists, but the Guardian chose to work with its in-house journalists. They have required training but they also need a natural aptitude for the job.
"Good journalists often end up experimenting with new ideas," said McIntosh.
"It's a mental shift really, and if they pull that off they can adapt to a new medium. Suddenly these talents emerge."
Rather than exploring the more technically demanding format of chapterised podcasts, which allow users to skip through to specific sections, GU has chosen to use a narrative introduction to outline the content in each podcast.
Mr McIntosh said users had already requested enhanced podcasts with pictures and extra content but the site has chosen to keep the format simple for now: "It's enough of a challenge getting the basic bits right". That said, GU has begun to experiment with multimedia slideshows, putting an MP3 soundtrack behind photographic slideshows by Guardian photographer Dan Chung.
Podcasting and downloadable files can cause measurement problems for publishers. Podcasts delivered through RSS feeds can be monitored, but files cannot be tracked when users then send them on to friends. Streamed audio, which requires the user to stay connected while they listen there and then, is much more measurable. But podcasting is still, as Mr McIntosh points out, far easier to measure than any other media.
Stitched up by the Beeb?
So, does GU see itself in competition with the BBC's podcast trial? Mr McIntosh is emphatic. Although he concedes that the BBC does produce some "brilliant" content, he said there is no commercial justification for its move into podcasting - and simply no competing with its resources and ready-made distribution network.
"There is absolutely no commercial reason for what it calls its 'very-tightly controlled' podcast trial of 50 shows - some of them produced specifically as podcasts. What the BBC is doing is hugely stifling to the commercial sector and has held back innovation in this country."
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